Research Output
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Publication
Towards a Standardised Framework for Inter-Country Adoption Assessment Procedures: A Study of Assessment Procedures in Inter-Country Adoption for Department of Health and Children
1999-04-19, O'Brien, Valerie, Richardson, Valerie
This report on Inter-Country Adoption was commissioned by the Department of Health and Children in November 1998, with Terms of Reference as set out below. (i) the current assessment procedures in health boards to be reviewed in consultation with the relevant interests (this review should encompass both social work practice and service management) (ii) an overview of current assessment procedures in health boards which identifies any particular issues which need to be addressed to be provided; (iii) a standardised framework for carrying out of future assessments which accords with best practice in the field and delivers the service in the most efficient and sensitive manner possible to be proposed. Within this standardised framework, health boards should be able to exercise a degree of flexibility in the management of the service and in the detail of its delivery so that they can adapt it to the particular circumstances prevailing in their functional area. (iv) the resource implications (on current application rates for assessment) of this proposed standardised framework to be estimated (this estimate to include staffing levels, management and administrative requirements etc.). The feasibility of introducing charges for assessments should also be considered in this context. (v) any areas in which legislative or administrative change would improve the quality of the assessment process to be highlighted Since the report was commissioned, there has been considerable media (print, radio and television) coverage of the subject of assessment for inter-country adoption, where prospective adopters have detailed objections to their experience of the assessment process. It was not part of our terms of reference to investigate individual complaints. However the views expressed have, in the general sense, formed part of the underlying enquiry. In our field work we have had the opportunity to hear many views of the issues involved. We have taken a systemic view of the issue, and made positive recommendations to improve the service. The report was commissioned at a time when the Government’s Strategic Management Initiative, which focuses on quality, efficiency and openness of public services delivery, is being implemented. We believe this is an opportune frame through which to review the ICA service and to make recommendations. The report contains discussion of aspects of the process. However, it also contains clear guidelines and recommendations which are our view of how this service can best be progressed into the future.
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Publication
Evolving networks of relative care
1999, O'Brien, Valerie
The place of relative /kinship care in the Irish child welfare system is presented. The central tenets of the ‘fifth province model’, which underpins the study are briefly explained. A typology of relative /kinship care networks is presented and discussed. The implications of the different categories in terms of the case management implications are discussed briefly.
Publication
Evaluation report on phase one of the family group conference pilot project for the East Coast Area Health Board
2000-08, O'Brien, Valerie
This report has been commissioned to appraise and draw together the main findings of Phase One of a Pilot Project on Family Group Conferences (FGCs) in Ireland. The pilot project was conducted in three community care areas of the Eastern Health Board (EHB), now the East Region Health Authority (ERHA), over the period May 1999 to June 2000
The project was concerned with introducing and operating Family Group Conferences (FGCs), as originally developed and used in New Zealand and now in more widespread use, in an Irish legal, organisational and professional context.
The report describes the FGC process and the pilot project in depth. It contains details of the Conferences held as part of the Pilot Project as well as the views of the multiple participants involved. The report analyses and presents findings and recommendations in respect of the evaluation questions set by the Project Management Committee. The report also presents a revised and updated version of Good Practice Guidelines which were developed and used in the training phase of the pilot, and which take account of the views of participants and the main findings and recommendations.
Publication
Adoption and the Irish Care System: Context and Drivers for Change?
2015-09, O'Brien, Valerie, Palmer, Angela
Long-term foster care ("LTFC") is the predominant permanent option for children who are likely to remain in care in Ireland. The Adoption Bill 2012 (the "2012 Bill"), published at the time of the holding of the Children's Referendum but not progressed since, seeks to ease existing legal restrictions in respect of adoption of children living in foster care. Against a backdrop of overall adoption trends in Ireland, this paper explores the 2012 Bill. It unpacks the concept of "permanency", discusses the incentives and disincentives involved in moving between foster care and adoption, and identifies key questions needed to shape the debate.
How the passing of the Children's Referendum and its revision of the Constitution play out in the Irish legislature and court system remain to be determined.
Publication
Relative foster care : an untapped placement alternative for children in the care system? A discussion of the central issues
1996, O'Brien, Valerie
Relative foster care (kinship care) offers a placement option in addition to residential and foster care, for children in need of alternative care. Historically, care by members of the extended family was viewed predominantly as an informal care arrangement within families, and in the main was not interfered with or financed by the state. Relative foster care could offer a more “child centred” option for many children unable to live with their own birth parents, as they would face less disruption through a move within their family networks. Recent years have seen a growing trend towards use of this option for children in care. The central issues for the participants involved in relative foster care are identified and discussed. Discussions needs to continue if this care option is to be utilised and developed to its optimum into the future.
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Publication
The Last Word : Irish-American Adoptions
2014-01, O'Brien, Valerie, Pavao, Joyce Maguire
Publication
Kinship Care : Stability, Disruption and the Place of Support Services
2013-05, O'Brien, Valerie
Publication
Navigating Child Welfare and Protection in Ireland with the Help of the Fifth Province
2014, O'Brien, Valerie
It is evident that attention to child welfare and protection has been intensifying in Irish society. This is seen in many spheres - political, social and cultural. Legalism, bureaucracy and procedures are recognised as key drivers of Child Welfare and Protection systems. As a result, both the children and families served and the professionals involved are becoming more frustrated. Specifically the intervention options that are available and being utilized are seen as limited. On a more positive note, the constraints of the system are being debated. There is a commitment at policy and practice level to creating a system in which partnership, strengths, and empowerment have a place alongside the dominant focus on risk, safety and protection. The extent to which the recalibration aspired to in the system can occur remains a major question, however. This paper contends that an understanding of the major trends in child protection is vital for the systemic professional and supervisor, irrespective of the context in which they are working. Furthermore, it suggests that, through building on the earlier work of its developers, the Fifth Province model provides a useful conceptual and intervention framework for supervision and case consultations. The diamond-shaped diagrams which are the hallmark of the Fifth Province approach, as well as an appreciation of mandate and commissioning and a focus on the domains of law, policy, values and resources are among the concepts that offer the professional and supervisor an opportunity to re-appraise and give direction to this area of work. The paper is divided into two sections:
(1) An overview of child protection and welfare (CP &W) trends in Ireland (2) Key aspects of the Fifth Province model, including concepts that may be useful in CP & W supervision and consultation.
Publication
Contributions from an Irish Study: Understanding and Managing Relative Care
2001-08-01, O'Brien, Valerie
This chapter is drawn from a PhD research study conducted in Ireland between 1993-97 (O'Brien, 1997) and further developments arising in the field since that date. The study is the only one of its type conducted to date in Ireland and has contributed significantly to an understanding of this care option for children, This chapter is divided into two sections. Section one outlines the aims of the study, the development of relative care in Ireland and key findings in relation to the children's and relative' biographical details, and the care career of the children. Section two describes and traces the processes involved at the decision-making, assessment and post-assessment stages. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the implications for practice and puts forward a model that may assist future practices.
Publication
Family group conferencing practice guidance
2002, O'Brien, Valerie, Lynch, Breda
The guidelines and practice protocols required for the implementation of FGCs are contained in the following sections. It builds on guidance provided in the ERHA evaluation report (O’Brien 2000). The participants in this pilot project who have contributed in the research and training to the development of these practice protocols fits with the spirit of the FGC model, and is acknowledged. The work of the pioneering spirits internationally who have shared their experiences, learning and reflections, especially colleagues in the USA working in the area of family decision-making, Hampshire (UK) and New Zealand, is also acknowledged. Much of this work has been developed from a study of family/ professional networks, as part of a relative care project (O’Brien 1999; 2000; 2001).